Side drill with slotted guide tube



March 14, 1950 A. ARUTUNFF SIDE DRILL WITH SLOTTED GUIDE TUBE Filed July 8, 1946 Patented Mar. 14, 1950 f *Y i u, f;

N UNITED STATES.. .PATENT OFFICE 2,500,785 SIDE DRILL WITH sLo'r'rElo GUIDE TUBE Armais Arutunodi Bartlesville, okla.

,Application July 8, 1946 Serial No. 682,039

The present invention relates in general to drilling apparatus and more particularly to side drills for oil wells or bore holes of similar character. This application is a continuati-on-in-part of my Ico-pending applicationSerial No. 677,196,77 led June 17, 1946.

It often is desirable to extend an existingI well by drilling auxiliary holes at an angle. from the vertical bore hole either for the purpose of tapping formations which do not communicate with the original bore hole, orfor some other purpose. The usual way'of producing such holes is to nre projectiles into the side wall from a gun lowered in the well. v However, the depth of penetration which may be obtained by this method 16 Claims. (Cl. Z55-1.6)

naturally depends upon theh'ardness of the material to be pierced and as a practical matter has proved to befmuch too limited to be useful where the formation is hard or where the cement behind the well casing is of considerable thickness.

By using the side drill disclosed in my prior" application, the' depth of the :.lateralholes ycanbe controlled accurately. regardlessv of variations in the hardness of the imaterialibeingzdrilled; also,

much deeper p'enetrationLlisobtainable thanv .is

possible by means of gun perforation.

It is the object of the'pre-sent invention to provide a side drill unit of improved construction and operation. More specifically, it'is desired to provide, in a side drill ofthe same size as my pri-or one, facilities which make the drill' capable of more particularly, one having facilities for pre` venting the cuttings flushed out of the hole being drilled from becoming packed or clogged around the mouth of that hole.

`Other and further objects ofthe invention will appear in the course of the following description.`

In the accompanying drawings which .form a part of the specification and areto be read-in conjunction therewith,`and in which like reference numerals are employed. to` indicate like parts ofM the various views,4 f A Fig. 1 isa side elevation of my drilling apparatus showing the same --disassembled into three parts,

in longitudinal cross section, Y Y

Fig. 3 is a's'ectional view taken along the line 3-3 of-Fig. 2 inthe direction of the arrows,`

Fig. 4 is a se'ctionalviewtaken"alongltheline ll-ll of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 2 is-any enlarged View showing the side drills:y

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modied form of my drill, and

Fig. 6 is a view showing the modiiied form of drill from the bottom.

Referring more Vparticularly to the drawings,

vthehousing for my side drill is made up in two units. The upper unit comprises an elongated cylindrical shell II and the lower unit is a very much shorter cylindrical shell I2 having at its upper end a ange I 3. The anged upper end of the latter unit is detachably conneotable to the base of the upper unit by means of bolts I4, therer by to join the two units into a :single .rigid structure. The upper end of this structure is covered by a cap I5 rigidly vaflixed.tothezshelll I, while the lower end is covered` by .abottom .piece I6 rigidly axed to the shell.l.2.

Cap. lihas a central opening. inwhich an elongated pipe or tubeI8-isadapted to slide, a suitable packing gland I 9 being provided around the tube to prevent the .leakagefoi uidand the passage of foreign...matter.into....the upperendof shell il. `'Iube !8.is.detachably connected toa-motor 20 by .means 4of threads at its lower end which may be screwed. into atapped:opening-inthe top of the,

motor casing. -Accordingly as the tube slides up or down through the opening in cap I5 motor 20 moves axially within shell I I.

Generally cylindrical in shape, the motor casing has at its top, however, aflattened side wall 2| in which the shaft of a reel 22 is journaled. A string or light cable wound on the reel has its freeend secured to a hook .inl the cap `I 5 so that it causes the reel to turn as the motor moves down- .wardly within shell I I. A rheostat (not shown) is arranged inside the motor casing and connected tolthe shaft of the reel so that its setting or resistvance varies with the rotation of the reel.

The wiring from motor 29 as well as that from the aforementioned rheostat extends upwardly through tube I8 and thence through the steel -olad cable 23 to the surf-ace. At the upper end of tube I8 is a gyroscope 24 equipped with a Selsyn mo- .tor from which the wiring also extends upwardly 45 v through cable 23 to the surface.

It will be observed that the cylindrical casing ofvmotor `20 is positioned off-center with respect to lthe axis .lof shell Il, leaving room on the lefthand side of the motor (as seen in Fig. 2) fora slotted guide tube 26. Positioned against the inner wall of the shell and rigidly secured thereto, this guide tube extends longitudinally of the shell almost all the way from the .bottom thereof `tothe top. Moreover, the slot 2l in the guide tube extends substantially the full length of the tube, giving it a C-shaped transverse cross section at all points, as illustrated in Figs; 3 andvl.

In the lower section ofthe side drill structure .a vrigid tube 28 curved asshown. The upper end of this tube-is alignedwith the slotted tube vided in the base of shell II around the flexiblesleeve. p

At the lower endof the flexible sleeve is a bearing 33 which supports the shaft of a rotatable bit 34. Details ofthe construction of this bearing and bit are shown in my copending application,Serial No. 677,196. The bit is driven by a flexible shaft *35 extending upwardly within the sleeve and connecting with theA short shaft 36 journaled in the members 3I and 31. shaft is driven by motor 20 through a gear 38 on the motor shaft, an idler gear 39 and a pinion 4I) on shaft 36. The bearing members 31 and 31', rigidly affixed to the motor casing, conform with the interior of the slotted guide tube 26, thus permitting the motor and exible sleeve 30 to move up or down with respect to shell I I while the shaft v35 is being rotated. yCylinder 4I occupiesv the space between parts 31 and 31 and contains apparatus (not shown) serving as a breathing l'chamber for expansion, contraction and leakage of insulating oil of motor 20.

A shoe or wedge 42 is pivoted at 43 on the bottom piece I6 of the side drill. This shoe'has a series of serrations 44` along one arcuate edge thereof, with respect to which arcuate edge the pivot 43 is disposed eccentrically, as shown. Connectedto the shoe is a piston 45 ladapted to move up and down in a cylinder 4'6 under control of uid admitted to thecylinder through a small pipe`41. The piston rod 48 extends downwardly through a suitable packing gland 49 and is bifurcated at its lower end'to straddle the shoe 42.

By means of a pin U passing through a slot r5I in the shoe, movement of the piston will cause the shoe to rotate about its pivot.

Below the motor and supported on the motor casing by a bracket 52 is a pump 53 driven by the motor. The pump intake comprises a small flexible tube 54 extending downwardly in a loosely coiled helix and terminating in chamber 55.' A

check valve indicated schematically at 55 permits fluid to enter this chamber from outside of shell I2. Fluid is expelled from the pump into chamber 51 through the outlet 58, and from chamber 51 it may flow through the small pipe 41 into the hy- "may be observed at the surface by means of a Selsyn motor connected to the Selsyn motor of gyroscope 24 in conventional fashion.

l When the` side drill is at the desired level and is properly oriented, the motor 20 is started by means of a switch at the surface. Thereupon, the pump, drawing fluid into chamber 55 through the valve 56 and thence upwardly through the tube 54, discharges it into the upper chamber 51.

Part of the fluidpasses from the upper chamber through opening 5S and out orice 60 as herein- The latter before explained; the orifice is small in comparison with the capacity of the pump, however, and consequently pressure is built up in chamber 51 whichforces fluid throughtube 41 and into cylinder 46. draws up the shoe 42 so that its serrated edge 44 firmly engages one wall of the well casing 63.

Cable 23 now is paid out slowly with motor 20 still running. ly, shoe 42 causes the lower end thereof to move laterally and become wedged in the casing of the well in such a way as to press the projections 62 firmly against the side wall of the bore hole (see Fig. 2),. If cable 23 now is paid out still more, the pipe I8 and the motor Zllwill move downwardly due to their own weight, driving the flexible sleeve or casing 35 downwardly before them.

The bearing 33 at the end of the latter sleeve accordingly transmits a thrust to the rotating bit, causing it to advance through the casing 63 and into the side wall along the path indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. During this advanceit will ybe clear that tube 2B guides the descent of motor 20 and supports the upper end of flexible sleeve 30|, while the slot 21 in the guide tube permits gear l39 to mesh with pinion I0 and hence drive shaft 35 continuously.

As it advances, the movement of motor 20 relative to the outer shell I I of the side drill unit causes reel 22 to` turn, and this progressively changes the setting of the rheostat connected to the shaft of the reel., The resultant change in resistance controls a milliammeter or other electrical instrument at the surface, enabling the operator to determine just how far the bit has advanced so that he may stop drilling at any desired depth. (The maximum depth of penetration 'is determined by the length of pipe I8 and the distance which motor 23 may travel in shell l I before reaching the base thereof; these dimensions obviously may be `increased almost indefinitely. to achieve any desired depth of penetration. Since tube 23 and the shell II therefore may be quite long, they may be disassembled as indicated in Fig. l when not in use for convenience in transporting them from place to f place.)

Throughout the advance of the bit, the fluid expelled throughorice 6B assists in the drillring operation and flushes the cuttings back into the vwell bore. The projections 62 prevent these fromwbecoming clogged or packed around the mouth of the hole being drilled. A sealing ring 64 provided in a suitable annular groove in the bottom piece I6 engages the casing 63 to better rlocalizethe circulating fluid whereby the cuttings returned to the 'well bore tend to be drawn into chamber 55 through the intake valve 56 and to settle in the bottom thereof around the hydraulic cylinder.

When employing my side drill in an uncased hole the same method of operation as described above is followed. In place of the shoe 42, how-- ever, a spade 42 preferably is substituted, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This serves the 'same 'general purposeV as the shoe and functions in the This pressure acting on piston 45 As the drill unit moves downwardannonce This is contemplated'by and is Within Inas'mucli"'as'` many possible embodimentsv may i be made of the invention without departing from the scope 'thereof it `i`s "to be understood that all matterherein 'setforth or shown in the accom" panying' drawings isto be vinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having 'thus described'rnyv invention, VI claim:

1,. In a side 4drill fora bore hole, a rigidy guide tube Vsubstanially"parallel tothe axis of the bore hole and having an end extension curved so its terminus is directed toward the side WalloiM the bore hole, a slot' infsaidtub'e' extending axially thereof, a ilexible' shaft said tube terminating 'i in a bit "adjacent jsaid 'side Wall and having at its other end a drive connection extending laterally of said shaft through said'Y slot, means for advancing said'shaft axially ofA said tube'and at the same timeadvancing said drive connection alongs'aid vslot/and yinear'is to rotate said shaft through saidfdrive connection as it advances thereby to 'cause said bit to drill Asaid sidewall; i

2.v Ina side drillf'fofr a bore hole, a rigid guide tube substantially-parallel tovthe axis of the bore hole and' having 'an' end extension curved so its i terminusis 'directed toward Vthes'ide Wall o`f th bore hole, a slot in said tube extending axially thereof, a llexible shaft in said tube terminating in a bit 'adjacent 'saidjsiue 'vvaiL 'andmeohanism for vadvancingsaid' shaft axially of said tube" and" rotating" 4it fasl y"iti "advaruzes thereby "to" d'rillH said side Wall, 'said'mechanisin including a mo'turpositioned vbes' `ide `saidftube" and adapted "to move along a path paralleling said tube as said shaft advances, and a connection from said motor to said shaftextending througvhitheslot'in said tube' for rotating said shaft.

3. In aside drill as'claimed' inclaim'Z, a mem'- ber invsaidutube conformingto the interior shape thereof and rigidly connected to the casing of said motor through said slot, thereby to guide the movement of'said motonbeside'said tube.

4. In a side drill for a bore hole, a rigid guide tube substantially parallel to the axis of the bore hole and having an end extension curved so its terminus is directed' toward them side Wall of the bore hole, a slot in said tube extending axiallym thereof, a1 flexible shaft in said'tube terminating in a b it adjacent said side wall'and havingraft' its other end a gear', means for advancing said` shaft axially ofv said'tubeysa-idlast means'in-f' cluding apower driven gear adapted to meshyvith/ said first gear through-the` slot in said' tube throughout the advance of said shaft thereby to cause the bit to drill said side Wall.

5. In a side drill for a bore hole, an elongated cylindrical casing adapted to be lowered into the bore hole, said casing having rigidly axed thereto an elongated guide tube disposed along one side of said casing so its axis parallels the axis of said casing, a slot in said tube extending axially thereof, an aperture in the side wall of said casing, said guide tube having a curved end extension communicating With said aperture, a exible shaft in said tube terminating in a bit positioned in said aperture, and mechanism for advancing said shaft axially of said tube and rotating it as it advances thereby to drill said side Wall, said mechanism including a motor position'ed"within^ said l casingf'beside saiditube and" c adapted to move along fa vpath 'parallelin'g' .said

,tube as said shaft advances, and a connection from said motor to said shaft extending through the `slot in saidtube for rotating said shaft.

6'. VIn a side drill for abore hole, an elongated cylindrical shell adaptedto be lowered into the bore hole', said shell'having rigidly affixed thereto an elongatedl guide tube disposed along one side of -said shell so its axis parallelsthe axis of said shell, a slot in saidtube extending axially thereof, a motor positioned Within said shell beside said tube and adapted `to move along: a "f path paralleling said tube, a member Within the tube cormected"to'ther casing "of"said motor through said slot to guide said movement ofthe motor, a flexible sleevewithin said tube having a rigid connection extending through said'slot to the casing'of said motor So said movement of the motoncau'ses said sleeve'tomv'e axially in said tube, a flexibleshaft Within lsaid sleeve and moved axiallyv of saidWtube with said 'sleevegf a gear Within vsaid tube vrigidly connected to' thev end of said/flexible shaft, and a gearjoutside said tubfdrivenbysaid motor and meshing with said fr'st `gear throughsaid-fslot to rotate said shaftthroughout said axial movement' thereof.y f

7. In 'a' side drill for 'a bre h'olefa rigid guide' tube substantially paralleltofthe axis -of the bore hole Vandhaving an-end extension curved so its terminusfis directedftovvar'd the sidewall of the bore hole, afslotin said tubefextending axially thereogjafiiexibie shaft Viris.aidtube"terminating in a y.bit adjacent said'si'de' Wall andhaving'E at end a drive connection extndinglat-"F" its `Gillet @muy or Sleeve 111 'denarithrough a slet., a sexibi ube encircling-v s to .advance the same toward said side Wall, and

means. to. rotate said shaft through said drive A connection as said bit advances, thereby to cause said bit to drill said-side Wall.

8Min a. side drin as claimed idnm r1',4 mais! ingboxinsaid guide tube surrounding-said ilexible lsleeve and sealing the outer periphery thereof .to prevent r,the passageof fluid from'the,

bore hole into said guide'tube. y.

9..'In a drill; aftubehavinga slotmextending axially,thereofa,ilexibleisleeve .in said tube, a

bit..rotatably,y supportedbyf; said sleeve l at one end-thereof,.a motor ,outside said tube rigidly other end to a gear, and a second gear outside said tube driven by said motor and meshing with said first gear through said slot throughout the advance of said motor and said sleeve.

10. In combination, a rigid guide mf liber having a channel therein, an elongated exible shaft within said channel and loosely conned by the Walls of said channel so it cannot move in any lateral direction more than a predetermined limited amount, the Walls of said channel having an elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said shaft, a drive connection for said shaft extending laterally of the shaft through the slot, means for advancing said shaft axially of said channel and at the same time advancing said -drive connection along said slot With said tube, a member on the end of saidusleve there-Q upon effective to transmit Ia thrustto4 saidubit Y shaft; and'z'meansto rotateI saidr shaft1 throughsaidl drive connection as it advances.

11. In combination, a rigidzguide member having a channel therein, an elongatedl flexible shaftl within saidA channel and'loosely confined bythe walls of said channel so it cannot move in any lateraldirection more than la predetermined limited amount, at least a portion of said channel being curved to cause the longitudinal axis of the shaft in that portion to lie in an arc of predetermined radius, the Walls of said channel havinglan elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said shaft, a drive connection for said shaft extending laterally of the shaft through the slot, meansfvfor advancing said shaft axially of said channel and at the same time advancingvsaid drive connection along said slot with said shaft,-and "means to rotate said shaft through said drive connection as it advances.

12. In combination, a rigid guide member having -a channel therein, an elongated flexible shaft within-said channel and loosely confined by the walls of said channel -so it cannot move in any lateral direction more than a predetermined amount, the walls of said channel having van elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said shaft, meansl for advancing said shaft axially of said channel and at the same time rotating said shaft, saidl last means including a gear in said channel rigidly affixed to said shaft so it moves axially of said channel with said shaft, and a power driven gear outside said channel adapted to mesh with said rst gear through the slot in said channel throughout the advance of said lfirst gear;

13. HIn combination, a rigid guide member having a channel therein, an elongated exible sleeve within saidchannel and loosely confined by the walls thereofso it cannot move in any lateral direction more than a predetermined limited amount, the Walls of said channel having an elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said flexible sleeve, an elongated flexible shaft Within said sleeve, a drive connection for said shaft extending laterally of said shaft through said slot, means for advancing said sleeve and said shaft axially of said channel and at the same time advancing said drive connection along said slot, and means to rotate said shaft through said drive connection as it advances.

14. In combination, a rigid tube having a slot extending axially thereof, an elongated flexible sleeve within said tube and supported thereby, an elongated flexible shaft within said sleeve, means for advancing said sleeve and said shaft axially of said tube and at the same time rotating said shaft within said sleeve, said last means including a gear in said tube rigidly ailxed to said shaft so it moves axially of said tube with said shaft and-a*povver'drivenl gear outside said tube adaptedto meshV with said first gear through the-slot in said tube throughout the advance of said first gear.V

15. In combination, a rigid guide member having a channel therein, an elongated flexible sleeve Within said channel and loosely conned by the walls `thereof so it cannot move in any lateral direction more than a predetermined limited amount, thewalls of said channel having an elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said flexible sleeve, a motor outside of said channel adapted to move along a path paralleling said channel, a rigid connection extending through said slot from said sleeve to the casing of said motor, whereby said movement of said motor advances said sleeve vaxially of said channel, an elongated flexible shaft within said sleeve having a driving member rigidly affixed thereto, and mechanism driven by said motor and engaging said member through lsaid slot to rotate said shaft.

16, In combination, a rigid guide member having a channel therein, an elongated flexible sleeve within said channel and'loosely confined by the walls thereof So it cannot move in any lateral direction more than a predetermined limited amount, the Walls of said channel having an elongated slot extending parallel to the length of said exible sleeve, a motor outside said channel, means supporting said motor for movement beside said channel, said means including a guide member in said channel conforming to the interior shape thereof and rigidly connected to the casing of said motor through said slot thereby to cause said motor to move along a path parallelingsaid channel, a rigid connection extending through said slot from said sleeve to the casing of said motor, whereby said movement of the motory advances said sleeve axially of said channel, an relongated flexible shaft within said sleeve having a driving member rigidly aixed thereto, and mechanism driven by said motor and engaging said member through said slot to rotate said shaft.

ARMAIS ARUTUNOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,271,904 Jones July 9, 1918 1,595,922 Prindle Aug. 10, 1926 1,804,819 Spencer, Jr., et al. May 12, 1931 1,850,403 Lee Mar. 22, 1932 2,136,152 Parrish Nov, 8, 1938 2,252,620 De Long Aug. 12, 1941 

